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SEIA is the solar energy industry’s go-to source for the latest coverage on solar power, including U.S. and international policy, research and polls, business and financing trends, and more. Our staff strives to support the media covering solar energy issues and guide our members on effective media outreach with clear statements, background materials, news and multimedia resources.

SEIA is committed to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s communities, our economy, and our country.

First Solar Inc. (FSLR), the largest U.S. solar-panel manufacturer, agreed to buy Skytron Energy from AEG Power Solutions GmbH to gain access to European photovoltaic power-plant control systems and expertise.

Skytron operates 600 solar power plants across Europe that generate about 5,000 megawatts of power, more than double the amount that First Solar currently manages, the Tempe, Arizona-based company said today in a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed.

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed new regulations under the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the United States, by 30 percent by 2030. After that announcement was made, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement:

Driven by strong year-over-year growth in the utility and residential markets, the United States installed 1,330 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the first quarter of 2014. According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industry Association’s (SEIA) Q1 2014 U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, the U.S. installed 232 megawatts of residential PV, exceeding the non-residential (commercial) market’s 225 megawatts for the first time in the history of the report.

First Solar Inc. said Friday it sold the 50-megawatt Macho Springs solar power plant to Southern Power Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of Southern Co., and Turner Renewable Energy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Power from the plant, which is located in New Mexico, will be sold to El Paso Electric under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA®), today released the following statement in support of the U.S. government’s decision to initiate World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement proceedings challenging India:

“We fully support today’s decision by the U.S. government to initiate WTO dispute settlement proceedings challenging the local content provision of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (National Solar Mission) for solar cells and modules.

“SEIA applauds Secretary Chu for his outstanding leadership of the Department of Energy and for his work to foster the growth of clean energy technologies to power America. Secretary Chu clearly believes in the power of science and innovation to drive change, which was evident in the way he led the Department. Under Dr.

WASHINGTON, DC – Carrie Cullen Hitt, senior vice president of state affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, released the following statement in reaction to the Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) vote, taken at yesterday’s public hearing, to eliminate all incentives for competitive commercial solar systems.

WASHINGTON, DC – In his State of the State address, California Governor Jerry Brown today discussed California’s ambitious energy goals, aimed at accelerating deployment of solar and other renewable resources. In his speech, the governor underscored that California is on track to reach –and potentially exceed– its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal of 33 percent by 2020.

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Field patrols will soon have almost weightless solar blankets as well. These will be able to capture a once unthinkable 35pc of the sun's light as energy with thin membranes, a spin-off from technology used in satellites.

Solar projects in the desert, geothermal power in the mountains and wind energy off the East Coast were cited as examples of progress from top U.S. officials and industry leaders during a green energy conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

California, whose green ambitions helped the solar and wind industries take root, is taking an essential next step by proposing a sharp rise in energy storage to better integrate renewable power with the rest of the grid.

Power from sun and wind fluctuates dramatically, so capturing it for later use makes the supply more predictable.

"We can't just rely on sunlight," Governor Jerry Brown told the Intersolar conference in San Francisco last month. "We've got to bottle the sunlight."

The cost of going solar has dropped in New York by 44 percent over the past five years, a trend that's playing out across the country.

Solar energy has become one of the fastest growing industries in the nation, according to a report by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

It was up to 14 percent cheaper to install residential and commercial solar systems last year than it was in 2011, according to the report. Prices have dropped an average of up to 7 percent per year since 1998.

Anna Begay lives on a remote plot of land in the Navajo reservation. To reach her home, you drive through twisting, unmarked trails of dust and mud along the edge of Coalmine Canyon, in northwest Arizona.